Wednesday, November 5, 2008

yes we can

i believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers and magistrates, in obeying, honoring and sustaining the law.

i also believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men. indeed, i may say that i follow the admonition of paul. i believe all things. i hope all things. i have endured many things and hope to be able to endure all things. if there is anything virtuous, lovely, of good report or praiseworthy, i seek after these things.

so many changes seemed to happen to our country overnight. i will admit, not everything turned out the way i had hoped, but several issues and elections went the way i believe was correct. however, as mentioned before, i believe in supporting and sustaining the law even , and because i live in america and have the freedom to do so, i gladly will honor those beliefs.

our country is drowning in a time of difficulty, a time of many changes, and a time where right and wrong most of the time aren't black and white. and now, more than ever is the time to stand unified, regardless of your opinion on health care, or taxes. we live in the united states of america. not the divided states of america. one nation, under God. and i am proud to be an american from those united states.

we stayed up late and followed the election results last night, eager to hear both mccain and obama give their speeches. i was impressed at the gracious and humble demeanor of john mccain. his chivalrous remarks were perfect. also, the hush and respect, almost reverence shown to him from grant park in chicago was moving. last night was a big night in our history - one that will grace history books and be taught and talked about for years to come.

president-elect barack obama gave a k i l l e r acceptance speech. it was brilliant. it pleased the democrats. it encouraged republicans. it pierced the hearts of young and old. who ever his writer is - they deserve a raise. we've known from the start that obama is a great orator, but whether or not he believes and acts on the things he says, well, only time will tell. but that speech - i was blown away. it was inspiring. i was encouraged. almost enlightened. seriously, one of the best speeches i think i've ever heard.

in this country, we rise and fall as one nation, as one people.
let's resist the temptation to fall back on
the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity
that has poisoned our politics for so long...
as lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours,
'we are not enemies, but friends.
though passion may have strained,
it must not break our bonds of affection'...


i was specifically impressed when obama uttered these words:

to those americans whose support i have yet to earn,
i may not have won your vote tonight, but i hear your voices.
i need your help. and i will be your president, too.

i know these speeches are full of promises only waiting to be broken, of words that end up meaningless. but i am hopeful that some will not. i hope that barack obama will do his best to make good on those wonderful things he said last night.

one of my favorite lines was this:

that's the true genius of america:
that america can change.
our union can be perfected.
what we've already achieved
gives us hope for
what we can and must acheive tomorrow.

i do not agree with many of obama's political opinions. but i do not think he's a bad guy. i hope - i sincerely hope that he is guided and inspired in his leadership of this country. i will pray for him. prayers and pleadings that he will be encouraged and enlightened to do what truly is best for this great country. because, i do agree with him that yes we can. we can change america, we can perfect our union. we can achieve what some see as the impossible. this is america. anything is possible. and yes we can. we can make a difference. we will see america change - sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. but we, together and individually, make that difference.
.
yes we can.
.
this is our time, obama said, to reclaim the american dream
and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that,
out of many, we are one;
that while we breathe, we hope.
and where we are met with cynicism and doubts
and those who tell us that we can't,
we will respond with that timeless creed
that sums up the spirit of a people:

.
yes we can.
.
i truly believe that we are blessed to live in this great nation. we are privileged to live in a place where we are free to express our opinions, whatever they may be. last night, america proved to the world and to itself, that anything really is possible. we live in the promised land. a blessed land that i have no doubt, God will watch over.

so even if obama wasn't my first choice, or my second for that matter, he is my president. he was elected by the majority of this country. and because of what i was taught in my youth, i will sustain him. for better or for worse. whether i agree with him or not. and i will pray for our country and our leaders. because i believe in being subject to presidents and honoring and sustaining the law. and as has been said and proven before, the great thing about america is that it can change. if we're unhappy, give it 4 years and we have a chance to change it again. yes we can. and we will.
,
so let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other.
.
and may God bless the united states of america.

because,
.
yes He can.

5 comments:

MandiScandal said...

HOLY CRAP! You should be a writer!! This belongs in the paper! I loved every word! Thank you for what you said. I echo your words!

Mlyman said...

I agree with Mando. You should be a writer, most excellent of thoughts there face.

Kiley said...

Shan, that makes me feel good all over! It's completely true - I kind of feel like I want to give a copy of that to everyone - especially the people who have been cynical about the whole thing . . . so they can feel it too! You're amazing! And I say Amen, too!

A said...

Beautiful post! I really aprreciated it after all of the deregotary remarks from angry people. I'm just excited for change.

Emily said...

great post shanna. Well written and thought out. I'd love to email you some of the pictures of the cake. What's your email address?